2022 Missions Conference: Restore and Remember

The 91st Missions Conference launched today, with lines for the gym stretching back to the bell tower. As the main session filled up, students were directed to overflow locations: Sutherland Auditorium, Mayers Auditorium, Calvary Chapel and Lansing Recital Hall.

SESSION ONE

Missions opened with the parade of nations. Students cheered as flags from numerous nations were run across the gym floor, while some students booed as the Russian flag passed across the floor. As the parade concluded, Missions co-directors Nicole Chang and Cy Bryan took the stage. Bryan opened the conference and reminded students that we have Christian brothers and sisters in Russia, who we should continue to pray for.

This year President Barry Correy honored Luis Palau posthumously for his evangelical service with the Charles W. Colson Conviction and Courage Award. There to receive the award were Palau’s wife and one of his children.

Missions conference continued with worship from Isla Vista Worship.

This year’s conference was MC’d by senior psychology major Alex Artuso and Isla Vista Worship team member Samuel Sweat who introduced the session’s speaker, Passion City Church pastor Ben Stuart.

Stuart’s message centered on expectations and frustrations of not knowing God’s plan. Stuart zoomed out on the life of Jesus by putting it in historical context and outlined the events that conspired in order to make Jesus’ life and ministry perfectly timed. Stuart explained that we often do not know the way God is working in our lives before it happens. Stuart hoped to encourage students who are in school during this season of nearly constant change.

SESSION TWO

The second session opened with two student speakers. Music and English double major Evan Dickerson shared his testimony surrounding cross-cultural interactions on campus. He shared his fears and hopes to bring people together to be more welcoming of other cultures. He reminded students that before they are Black, white and Asian, they are God’s people.

Senior commercial music major Isaac Escamilla shared his thoughts on having an open mind about other cultural forms of worship. He acknowledged some people may feel uncomfortable in the presence of other worship forms and that they should ask God to help them keep an open mind.

MAIN SPEAKER

The main speaker for this session was Cru staff member Jamie Lam. She read from Nehemiah 1, speaking about human response to corruption in the world. She questioned whether indirect brokenness calls Christians to action or causes apathy.

While a normal response to an issue is to figure out ways to fix it and pray throughout, Nehemiah’s response was to sit, weep, mourn, pray and fast for days or months before taking action. He prepared the Israelites and himself for God’s work, allowing himself time to consult God.

SESSION THREE

The line for the gym for Mission’s Conference main session three wrapped around to the bells with many students redirected to overflow. Session three opened with Student Missionary Union president Sadie Wilson and Artuso explaining SMU’s mission. Isla Vista followed them up, leading the Biolans in a time of worship before main speaker Next Gen Regional Co-Chair for North America with Empowered21 Eli Bonilla came to the stage.

BEHOLD HIM

Bonilla began by explaining cultural background. As a Dominican-Mexican, he grew up with two different dialects of Spanish intermingled with the “TexMex” Spanish he learned in San Antonio, Texas.

Bonilla explained that the church needs to know the Word of God so deeply that it cannot be swayed by Satan’s lurking power. He referenced how Satan used God’s words and twisted them to deceive Adam and Eve.

“We don’t want to step into something that will be a stumbling block for the next generation,” Bonilla said.

Bonilla explained that Christians struggle with a limited understanding of God. They do not read their Bibles as they should, rather they go to the “Bible-verse-a-day” Instagram accounts to get their “daily dose” of the Bible.

“We perish from a lack of knowledge of God,” he said.

Bonilla ended the session with the truth that God has a sovereign plan for the people he created. Instead of experiencing disarray and discontentment, at the throne of God, Christians will be united with Christ, exemplifying their differences in him.

SESSION FOUR

Biola students brought excitement the second morning of Missions Conference, as the MC’s announced the speaker, Megan Fate Marshman. She currently works at Arbor Road church, but has a history of speaking at camps and conferences around the nation. To celebrate the theme of international cultures, international students sang “Here I Am to Worship” and “May His Favor Be Upon You” in many languages, beautifully translating the verses in the songs, but uniting the song during the chorus in English.

THE MESSAGE

Marshman spoke on Matthew 6, encouraging the audience to set their minds on the things above by “storing up treasures in heaven.” This perspective, she said, leads to both peace and unity, as the focus shifts from the things that are seen to the things that are unseen, that is, heaven.

She tied it back to the theme verse in Nehemiah 5, pointing to the disunity that resulted from the people’s focus on their resources. Landing it on the gospel message, Marshman ended by powerfully reminding the audience that Jesus’ treasure is the human race, bringing home the gospel message. Isla Vista worship ended the session by singing “You are my Treasure.”

SESSION FIVE

The 91st Missions Conference entered its second day. When the main session in the gym filled up, students were directed to overflow seating in Mayers Auditorium, Sutherland Auditorium, Lansing Recital Hall and Calvary Chapel.

Campus traditions coordinator Emily Propst introduced the Usual Suspects dance crew who performed a choreographed number to the song “Let You Love Me” by Blake McGrath. Isla Vista Worship led students in worship before introducing the session’s speaker, River’s Edge Bible Church pastor Eric Mock.

Mock’s message focused on worshiping Jesus and cherishing the Word of God. Mock encouraged students to consider whether they were worshiping God as Scripture portrays him or praising a god of their own imagination. He explained that when a person is consumed with themselves, they cannot rightly treasure God and his Word.

Mock pointed to Ezra as a leader who was consumed with God’s greatness instead of concentrating on his own status. He encouraged students to ground themselves in the truth of Scripture rather than trusting in themselves and their feelings.

Mock shared stories of believers in Ukraine worshiping God through prayer and song in the midst of war. He detailed the devastation throughout Ukraine, including bombed villages as well as the lack of water in Mariupol. Mock explained that as believers worship God in the midst of suffering they look forward to a day where there will be peace instead of destruction.

SESSION SIX

Session six began with a reading of the scriptures in a variety of languages—from Korean to French, Greek to Spanish, and more. Applause burst out from students in between as they listened to the same passage read in different tongues. Isla Vista Worship jumped on and led the crowd in singing “Face to Face.”

Ben Stuart was the main speaker for the session. He read from Genesis 1 and 2—challenging students to find their purpose and presence in God.

“The terror of meaninglessness haunts your generation,” he said. We were created for a purpose, Stuart taught, and God put us on earth for a reason.

Stemming from purpose, Stuart exhorted students to “go into the chaos and cultivate life” as Jesus did on the cross for us.

“Christ stepped into the chaos and created a kingdom…to set you free,” Stuart said.

Stuart encouraged students to “uproot and plant” themselves—as they cultivate life, beginning with working on themselves. He explained that there are four crucial pillars to this: a productive schedule, a positive structure, protective saints and the power of the spirit. With the spirit of God coming into our mess, there is hope for us.

Isla Vista Worship ended the night with extended worship—worship that reminded students that “Jesus paid it all—all to him [we] owe.”

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About the Contributors

Caleb Jonker, News Editor

Caleb Jonker is a Senior Journalism major, he loves skateboarding, his little brothers and denim. Not necessarily in that order. [email protected] Caleb Jonker was born in Denver, Colorado, he was raised in a house of four boys. He lived in Denver until he graduated high school, after which he took a year off to join a bike trip raising funds for a non profit organization and to work. Caleb entered Biola University undeclared and avoided declaring a major at all cost, eventually though, through words of encouragement and invitation he declared journalism. Today he works at the Chimes as one of the News Editors. When he is not writing Caleb can be found skateboarding or working on one of his numerous side projects.

Emily Coffey, Managing Editor

Emily Coffey is a senior broadcast journalism major who loves John Mayer, Bernese Mountain Dogs and high fives. [email protected] I grew up in the beautiful state of Oregon, which provided a lot of opportunities for adventures like white water rafting, mountain biking, and hiking. During a three-month stint in Nepal with my family (I was homeschooled), I got to document the lives of 13 women who had undergone some form of human trafficking, medical neglect, or family abuse. From here, I found my passion for storytelling. Though I came to Biola as a music major, I started working at the Chimes my freshman year and quickly made the switch to broadcast journalism. My love of verbal and written communication, especially in storytelling, soon blossomed into a love of visual storytelling. Now, I work for the Chimes and am heavily involved in many other student media organizations. You can find me covering a story, interviewing students about their artwork, at the beach, or running.

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Charlotte McKinley, Freelance Writer

Charlotte McKinley is a senior Journalism and Public Relations major who loves the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Stewart Hall, and the oxford comma (unfortunately). Whenever I tell people I’m from Spokane Valley, WA, they inevitably ask me how far from Seattle I am, so I’ll cut to the chase: I’m closer to Montana than I am to Seattle, and no, I don’t go to Seattle regularly. The PNW will always be my home, no matter where I go. I’ve been involved with the Mixed Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu community for nine years now and am looking forward to making my career writing for the MMA and BJJ community after I graduate from Biola with my degrees in Journalism and Public Relations. If you’ve been with me in class, you know that all of my class projects tend to revolve around the Ultimate Fighting Championship and that community. My favorite thing about being a journalist is that I get to write people’s stories and tell it to people who wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. Interviewing people and hearing their story is a real honor, so the responsibility to accurately tell their story to others is a heavy one, but a privilege to bear.

Hannah Larson, Editor-in-Chief

Hannah Larson is a junior journalism major who loves novels, California redwoods and strawberry smoothies. I was born and raised in San Marcos, a small town in southern California where horses graze in fenced pastures and fields of sunflowers burst into bloom every spring. As much as I love SoCal, there is something special about taking a road trip to see the redwoods up north—you just can’t beat camping along the gorgeous Pacific coast. I started writing for my high school paper when I was a junior and discovered a passion for reporting local news and crafting feature pieces, which drove me to pursue journalism in college. I took a staff writer position with the Chimes news section my sophomore year at Biola and loved seeing an article come together from initial interviews to final edits. The following semester, I joined the team as a news editor and dove into a new world of tight deadlines and investigative research. I look forward to leading The Chimes this year as we move into a new season of print media.

Hannah Dilanchyan, Opinions Editor

Hannah Dilanchyan is a senior journalism major who loves visiting surf shops, eating baklava, and learning about World War II history. [email protected] Born and raised in beautiful Orange County, CA, I could not imagine living somewhere that isn’t sunny. As a senior visual media journalism student, I absolutely love photography, writing, and talking with people. I spend most of my free time outdoors, either at my favorite beach, on a short, local hiking trail, or reading in my own backyard. I also love finding unique local spots to visit, from surf shops to bakeries - let me know if you have any recommendations! My passion for journalism started young. As a kid, I would make homemade “newspapers” for my parents, often writing about the news and weather around the house. Then I began following political, local, and global news. I started by following the news in Armenia, where my parents were born, and from there it blossomed into a love for people, travel, food and culture. I am beyond thankful to live in a country where we can practice the art of journalism without fear or danger. I love being a part of the Biola community - being able to get a higher education while focused on the Lord is something I am so thankful for. I can’t wait to use my skills in the craft of storytelling for God’s glory here at Biola and even in the post-grad life.